Brenda Song, MD, is a neurologist who directs the UMass Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Program, and she is a pioneer in organizing multidisciplinary care for Duchenne populations. She discusses how regular collaboration among specialists and the use of digital communication tools can streamline care, ensuring no aspect of a patient’s needs is overlooked.
Transcript
We are all collaborators for the care of patients of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. And in order to execute effectively, the care plans and manage these problems, I see a need for a weekly free clinic meeting of the core specialties, which will really be the dietitian, the PT, OT, physiatrists together with neuromuscular specialist, pulmonologist and ideally the endocrine doctor, as well as the cardiologist.
Not many members will be able to make it, but I think the neuro rehab team is key, and that enables one to plan well for each weekly meeting, weekly clinic meeting, for the weekly clinic appointments, that nothing will be left out and all that needs to be done at each clinic visit will be executed.
Besides that, I think what we have these days is the ability to communicate via email and our electronic medical record system, whereby there is physician chat that we can easily connect with our colleagues in discussing the care issues for problems. I think we — these devices these days — phone calls, emails, the chats on the electronic medical record system. This has facilitated the ability of multidisciplinary teams to be more interdisciplinary.
